Maven Magnetic Lens Filters Aim to Fix Their Most Common Problems

Photographer and photography instructor Micahel Andrew has launched a Kickstarter campaign to address what he sees as the common shortcomings of lens filter systems called the Maven Magnetic series.

Andrew says his frustration with neutral density (ND) filters is that are not actually color-neutral (that is to say, they add a color cast to his photos). This set him down a path of creating affordable ND filters that didn't require color correction.

The system of ND filters in the Maven Magnetic line not only succeeds in this endeavor, according to Andrew, but solves several other common problems he and other photographers have with filters. He says in his background in molecular biology, he "learned from studying proteins that everything gets more efficient when the form is related to function."

Filters, he says, don't have different forms for different functions but instead all looked the same. They all tend to be mostly all black and in some cases, might look different but as a group — homogenous across all models from a specific brand. His conclusion was that each model of filter in a line from a single manufacturer should look different depending on their intended use.

Hence, his Maven Magnetic filters have different colored rings for different functions. A red ring means a three-stop ND filter, purple a six-stop ND, gold a 10-stop, and blue for a circular polarizer, with the promise of several other filters with different colors still yet to come.

Andrew says the colors of the filter rings align with different shooting situations. Blue (circular polarizer) is the color of the sun and sky, which is where you want this type of filter. Purple is the color of the sky near the end of the day when he grabs a 6-stop filter, and so on.

To solve the problem of filters that get stuck to lenses — a common and frustrating issue for many photographers — these filters use "tactile grooves" on the outside edge, designed to be easily gripped, and the designs now incorporate a magnetic mount for easy filter removal and installation.

The filters are said to be easy to clean and hard to get dirty, employing a nano-coated surface—something high-end lenses often use to reduce smudges.

There are five different filter models in the Maven Magnetic line, with eight different sizes. All filters come with a lifetime manufacturer warranty.

The Maven Magnetic filter lineup is available to back on Kickstarter for $49 for a single lens and adapter ring, $99 for two filters and adapter rings, and $199 for the full set of rings, plus a lens cap.

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